Calhoun’s heart was racing as he began a tiebreaker in the first round of the SCHSL Class AAA tournament Thursday. He knew a victory would put Bluffton High into the Lower State semifinals.

“I usually end up playing really well under pressure,” Calhoun said. “But my heart was beating really fast. I was really nervous.”

The Bluffton senior’s nerves didn’t show in the tiebreaker, as he beat Tyler Jackson to give the Bobcats a tight 4-2 victory over Wilson.

Calhoun kept his cool en route to a 10-5 victory, playing at a measured pace and showing little outward emotion until he opened up a significant lead. His teammates raced onto the court to congratulate him after the deciding point.

Bluffton (15-3) will try for a second consecutive appearance in the Lower State finals Tuesday at Socastee.

“I think Nate hit two bad balls in that tiebreak,” Bluffton coach Robert Brown said. “We asked him to take something off his serve, and he did.”

The Bobcats’ depth came through for them, as they overcame losses in two of the top three singles matches.

With all those matches complete, Calhoun was still getting pushed by Jackson at No. 4.

Calhoun, who filled the third spot when Rosenblum was out, opened up an early 5-2 lead in the first set and held on to win 7-5. Jackson controlled the second set, which he won 6-2.

“The last couple of games that he won back in the first set, he really ran me,” Calhoun said. “So I got really tired. In the second set I was tired, I was lazy. I wasn’t playing my game.”

When Calhoun was behind 5-1 in the second, Brown approached him during a break to tell him the situation. A win would put Bluffton through to the next round. A loss would force a No. 1 doubles match to break the tie.

Calhoun said he built up some confidence by taking a late game off Jackson in the second set. They played even through the first six points of the tiebreaker, then Calhoun began to take over.

He forced several errors to take a 7-3 lead, and finally dropped a shot out of Jackson’s reach for the winner.

“In the tiebreak, I played my game,” Calhoun said. “I took care of business.”